Little Dancer

 I made the roses using my Cricut and Mother's Day Bouquet. The key is lots of crinkling of the paper and making the very center look like a rose bud, tight but not too tight.

The buttons were made using a PTI die and then stamping them and then using Ultra Thick Embossing powder to give them the glaze and shine. I love how they come out this this! I use the coasters to cut them out so they are pretty sturdy to start with but the UTE they are really sturdy.

***We haven't heard anything specific to Makaio but we did hear that overall all the children with pnuemonia are doing well with the treatment. As far as we know he hasn't been hospitalized and that is a good sign. If you would continue to pray for us with the Embassy I'd be so grateful. We learned some very upsetting things this week that could possibly make the process months longer to get him home or loose him forever. Basically the Embassy has final say and if they refuse to grant a visa our boy will never get to be ours. BUT, we haven't heard yet, so there is still time to hope that we will get a miracle and just get approval and travel dates. We may hear next week...I'll keep you all updated. Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts, they are helping me get through this.*****

Please Pray

As of yesterday we found out the Makaio is very sick. He has had pnuemonia as well as other respiratiory issues and is being treated for them but we are not sure how he is really doing. He has not been hospitalized which is a good sign of it not being totally out of control, but he is not well. We are at the one week mark of waiting for the Embassy to give us clearance and we have no assurance of when that clearance and subsequent travel dates will come. We've been told it could be any day now or a couple more weeks or the really reassuring, we just have no way of knowing, answer. This just adds so much to the anxiety of the unknown. If you would pray for Makaio's health to improve and for my emotions and sanity to be kept at a more even place I would be so grateful. I feel very broken hearted and it is extrememly hard to watch my baby grow up through pictures. I'll update when I hear anything more. Thank you...

PTI Princess Challenge!

Hello fellow Princesses! So sorry I am a day late...wasn't feeling well yesterday but am much better today:)  My challenge to you is to create a card or other project that you will actually give to someone within the next week. For my card I made an anniversary card for a very dear friend who's anniversary is next week Tuesday and I'll see her Monday to give it to her:)  Who do you have a little something you could make something for? We all need encouragement, so get your stamping goodies out and create a little sunshine for someone you love. Can't wait to see what you make! hugs...

Supplies:
PTI stamps: Tin Types, Tag it's #5
PTI Doily Details
PTI Lavender Moon c/s, ribbon and inks

You're Fabulous!

A little card today. This is a new image for Heart Song Designs. I did my best to shabby it up and had fun adding all the layers and little bits and pieces. Hope you are having a good weekend. Thanks for dropping by!

Farm Fresh Challenge

I played along with the Flourishes challenge which is farm fresh, use a fruit of veggie for a focal image. I inked up the beautiful Strawberry set and colored it with Copics then fussy cut it out to mat it onto the Seed packet stamp from Seeds of Friendship. For my bow I made 3 individual bows and layered them on top of each other using 1/4" Scor tape to adhere them together. I love using Scor tape for ribbon, so easy and great hold. I also broke out my poor neglected sewing machine, I forgot how much I love stiching on my projects! I hope you like it:) hugs...

A couple of baby cards and good news

I finally felt like creating and that is a great feeling :) Used a couple of new PTI sets...baby stamps always get a lot of love from me since I can sell a ton of cards in a local shop. The flower on the stork card is made out of used dryer sheets, just die cut some flowers with a Cuttlebug die and layered them, makes really pretty, sheer flowers.

We got some good news today on Makaio! We got his birth certificate which is a huge step forward, now we have a week or two before we officially start waiting for travel dates. It still could be a long time...think September, but I think we have a good shot at sometime in August. So even though it's still disheartening how long it's taking, any move forward is great. Please pray that the Embassy doesn't want any more info and just approves us, we will travel so much sooner that way. Thanks for visiting!

Giving Thanks Anyway....

There has been much sacrifice in giving thanks lately... painful sacrifice. My heart aches so intensley each day that it's hard to find words to describe it, only tears say enough. And lots of those have fallen. And yet, God remains, unchanged, the only true good in this cruel, long, heart wrenching process...and I am slowly learning to keep my eyes, my heart, a little more focused on Him. We got a few more pictures of him today....I don't want pictures. I want him. In my arms. For good. We are still waiting on Embassy submission...we aren't even "in line" yet for a travel date. We thought we'd go this month...but it is now just another month of empty arms. It takes my breathe away. A glimpse of what Christ suffered for me...coming while I cried "crucify Him!" and Him only wanting me back, to hold me as His own, forever. And so we wait because we have no other choice...and I try to give thanks anyway.

1. Rain, like tears from God Himself today on our dry, cracked land.
2. Zach and Ayana, giving me so many hugs and kisses...balm to my soul.
3. Dear friends who cry with me and for me and will be there to rejoice when this too passes.
4. A supportive husband who aches too.
5. My garden, finally my own garden again after all these years. Something to tend, to watch grow.
6. Another day past in this wait that I grow more weary of.
7. For friends who are lifting me up in their prayers...this is how I am surviving.
8. Pictures of my smiling boy...a reassurance that what we are doing is real.
9. The song "Blessings" by Laura Story.
10. That God never changes and that He will finish what He started.

Everyday With YOU

I love getting back to doing so many more LO's...there is just nothing like preserving those memories. These are just a couple of pictures the kids and I took one day before we went grocery shopping, just an everyday memory. I used the Lovely Floral cart for the font (love!) and the leaves, Cindy Loo for the flourishes and them some PTI goodies of Doily die cuts and some Love Lives Here dies cut from felt. I think I have to just accept that I am a very minamal scrapper...what do you think? Do you like it? Thanks for stopping by:)